Curing the Fever
by MonSolo23
Summary: After escaping from her mob boss...boss...Lenny Hayes is aided by the mysterious Mick St. John. What was she thinking during that fateful afternoon when Mick nearly died? Set during s1e4 "Fever." Chapter 2: Beth. Ch 3: Mick. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Lenny

**A/N: Many creative, talented people write for "Moonlight." Alas, I am not one of them. Therefore, the characters do not belong to me. In this case, I don't even own the story. This is my version of season 1, episode 4 ("Fever"). It's a study in telling the same events from different points of view.**

**Lenny's POV**

I stared uncomprehendingly at the smoldering remains of the police car. Could this day possibly get any stranger? Not only had I escaped from the attack on the so-called "safe" house, I'd been attacked by a helicopter. A helicopter! Even living in LA, even working for a mob boss, a helicopter attack is weird. But that's how I found myself stranded along a desolate stretch of highway with Mick St. John. Another plume of smoke escaped into the sky. Mick turned to me and asked if I was all right.

"Yeah, just a little freaked out," I responded. _Roll with it, Lenny. You've been through worse. Like watching your boss murder your boyfriend. _I took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

Mick had a pretty chalky complexion. He'd fry in a few hours unless he'd thought to bring sunscreen. Which wasn't likely. But hey, maybe he had some. Mick was a surprising guy. I never would've guessed he'd know how to send the helicopter after an empty car. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

He looked down the highway, and then up at the sun. "I will be, as soon as we get out of here."

At the moment, though, our prospects on getting anywhere weren't looking too good. Then I heard sirens off in the distance. They were coming closer. Of course, it doesn't take long for accidents to get recognized, even in the middle of nowhere. "Cops. Do you think we can still trust them?" I wondered aloud.

Mick held his cell phone up to the sky, looking for a signal, then looked really pissed and shoved it back in his pocket. He glanced in the direction of the sirens and answered, "We're probably going to regret this, but we're not going to stick around long enough to find out." He glared up at the sun and headed off into the desert. I hesitated for a moment and then ran to catch up with him.

I could tell before too long that Mick was totally unprepared for the hike. He certainly didn't have sunscreen. He didn't even have water. We hadn't even gone half a mile and he already looked dehydrated. "I wish I had a water bottle," I complained.

Mick turned around and gave me a wry look. "You thirsty too?" One look at his face told me he was much worse off than I was.

"I meant for you, actually," I told him.

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "Wouldn't do much good."

We stopped talking and focused on walking. I don't know how long we walked. It seemed like hours, but the sun was still high in the sky. I asked Mick once if he wanted to stop. I could've used a rest too, but he said we needed to keep going. I passed him my jacket, and he held it over his head like an umbrella. It didn't help much, though, because he was still sweating buckets.

Mick walked a few steps ahead, but he'd turn around every couple minutes and make sure I was okay. I was fine, more or less, but Mick looked worse each time. He wasn't going to last much longer. I knew that if Mick was out here all afternoon, he'd die. From something. Exposure, or dehydration, I didn't know exactly. He was looking delirious, like his mind was in another world. Mick stumbled, and I was able to catch up to him. It was hopeless. We were going to die out here, in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly I saw something on the horizon. I blinked and looked again. It was still there. A building! "Mick, look!" I shouted.

Our walking had a purpose now. The building turned out to be an old motel. A sign in the window revealed that it was closed for renovations. I felt immediate relief when we walked in. It already felt cooler in the shade. Mick grabbed a key from the wall behind him and we headed down the hall to room 3. There was no air conditioning, but at least we were out of the sun. "Maybe you should lie down?" I suggested to Mick. I wondered frantically what the symptoms of heatstroke were and how to treat it.

"Find the ice machine," he instructed. "Get a lot. Please go, go." I grabbed the little bucket and headed off to find the ice machine. Mick headed into the bathroom. I looked for an ice machine down the hallways, but didn't see one. Then I saw an outdoor freezer through the window. I headed out, praying it would have ice. I pulled the lid open and laughed in relief. The freezer was full of ice. I grabbed a giant bucket resting on top and began scooping ice in.

When the bucket was full, I dragged it back to the room. I needed both hands to carry it. I found Mick lying in the tub with the water running. He looked a little better, but not much. He gestured towards the tub with one finger and I poured the whole bucket of ice in. The tub was getting pretty full, so I turned the water off. Then I reached into my pocket. "Hey, I raided the mini-bar," I told Mick, holding up a miniscule bottle of juice I'd found and a pack of crackers. "For you."

Mick glanced at the food in my hands. "No."

He'd lost a lot of fluids, so why didn't he want the juice? But that wasn't our biggest problem at the moment. "We have to get you to a hospital," I told Mick. "This is not just regular dehydration. There is something seriously wrong." I was way out of my league here. The ambulance would know where to find us, I hoped. I'd noticed a road sign, so I knew the motel was near Highway 37. It was a starting point, anyway…

Mick interrupted my thoughts. "No hospitals," he instructed. That was a stupid idea…unless calling an ambulance meant the psychos could find us? "Just keep trying to get a signal," Mick continued. "Call the number I gave you. Ask for Beth. Just talk to her. Only Beth." Which, actually, didn't seem so paranoid considering the fact that I'd survived two attempts on my life in one day.

But who was Beth anyway? I asked Mick, but all he said was, "I trust her."

"Hey," I pressed, trying to keep him talking, "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No!" he answered immediately. After a pause, he added, "It's complicated." Right. Meaning he wanted her to be his girlfriend.

"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked. He drifted off again. The fever was probably making him delusional. "Are you all right?" I asked, concerned.

"Please, just leave," he replied.

Not gonna happen. He needed someone to stay here with him. "No, I want to stay here with you."

"Call Beth," he repeated. "Go, go."

I couldn't think of any reason to not try calling again. It would only take a minute to find there was still no signal, and then I could go and sit with Mick some more. So I stood up and walked out into the dimly lit main room. When I tried the phone again, I was shocked to find that it was finally working. I found Beth's number and pressed the call button.

It rang once, twice. A woman's voice came through the other end. "Beth Turner." The voice was hoarse, like she'd been crying.

"Hi, it's Lenny Hayes," I answered.

Immediately Beth sounded better. After assuring her that I was okay, she asked anxiously, "Is Mick all right? Can you put him on the line?"

"Um, Mick's not doing too good," I answered honestly. "We had to walk a couple miles to get to this old motel…and it was hot. Really hot."

"But he's alive?" Beth's voice was an odd mixture of relief and concern.

"Yeah," I assured her. "He's alive." I owed Mick my life. Now it was my job to make sure he got help.

Beth asked for directions. I told her what I could. "We were driving east on Route 183 when we…where we left the car, and then we walked north, probably like two miles?" I guessed. "Anyway, the motel's called Desert Oasis and it's near Highway 37. Oh, and we're in room 3."

"Okay, I found the motel on Mapquest," Beth answered after a moment. "I'll be there in half an hour," she promised.

I went back into the bathroom. "Mick, I spoke to Beth. She's coming," I told him. He looked totally out of it. Like he was on another planet. "Mick? Mick?" I leaned over him. His eyes were completely glazed over. For a horrible moment, I thought he was dead. "Mick?" I called again, desperately.

Suddenly, he snapped back to reality. "Get out!" he screamed. "Get out, Lenny, get out now!" He looked truly frightful in that moment. I retreated out of the bathroom. Holy crap, what was his problem? I hoped he'd heard me when I'd told him about Beth. Now there was nothing to do but wait. I flipped on the television, but there was no reception. I resorted to pacing. More than once I went check on Mick again, but I was afraid he'd yell at me again. The last thing he needed right now was to exert himself.

Finally the door opened and an attractive woman with long blonde hair walked in. "Lenny, I'm Beth," she introduced herself. Her voice was full of worry. I didn't have to ask who she was worried about.

I turned around and crossed the room to her. "You have to help him!" I pleaded.

She didn't need to ask who I was talking about either. "Where is he?" she asked.

I led Beth to the bathroom door. "In here," I answered. "I think he's dying." I was almost in tears. I prayed he wasn't dead already.

"Stay here," Beth instructed. She walked in and closed the door behind her.

I heard their muffled voices. Mick was shouting something that didn't make any sense. But after a minute, everything got quiet. I figured Beth would call me if there was a problem. Now I just had to wait. I sat down on the bed. It was more comfortable than I would've thought for a cheap motel. I'd been awake for more than twenty-four hours. It couldn't hurt to just lie down for a minute…

The next thing I heard was a muffled cry, and a horribly familiar voice saying, "Scream and you're dead." It was the guy! My would-be assassin. "Scream and you're dead. Where's the girl?" he demanded. I recognized him as the one who'd posed as the neighbor with the cable problem. Had that only been last night? It seemed like an eternity ago. It was dark, and I realized that I must've slept all afternoon. Who was he talking to? I got up cautiously to look.

Suddenly there was a crash and a crack and a clatter. The assassin was lying on the floor, and there was a giant hole in the bathroom door. I heard the door open, and Mick's voice. "Are you all right?" he asked. I looked and saw Beth sitting next to the remains of the door.

I stepped out. "Mick? Are you all right?" I asked him. Impossible as it seemed, he looked fine now. What had happened while I was asleep?

"Yeah, actually, I feel better," he answered, smiling at some secret joke. Apparently he still wasn't going to tell me anything. But I didn't care. I ran over to Mick and gave him a hug. He hugged me back. He was probably just happy that we were all safe. So was I.

Suddenly he pulled away. "I'd better call the police. Let them know we're okay." I noticed that he and Beth were avoiding each other's eyes. Had they had a fight? It seemed like a pretty crappy time to break up a complicated relationship. I wondered what had happened between them, but if there's one thing I learned from working for Fayid, it's when to mind my own business.

Victoville PD came and picked us up half an hour later. Our adventure was over. I went back with the cops, and Mick headed off in Beth's car. As they turned to go, I noticed Beth drop something on the floor. I passed it on the way out: one of the hotel's little hand towels, stained bright red.

**This is my first Moonlight fanfic. Please R&R! Chapter 2 will be from Beth's POV, and Chapter 3 from Mick's.**


	2. Beth

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! **

**Many creative and talented people write for **_**Moonlight**_**…I'm still not one of them. :P**

**Chapter 2: Beth's POV**

I was standing in Josh's office when the call came in. It didn't sound like good news. "Well?" I asked him.

He sighed. "That was Victorville PD. On their way to the bus station they came across a fresh accident scene. Apparently, Mick and Lenny stole a police cruiser…"

_What?_ I thought. _That can't be right…why would they run? And in a stolen _police_ car?_ But what Josh said next shocked me even more.

"…they were attacked," he continued. "Looks like they're dead."

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. "Dead?" I cried. "There must be some mistake." _Mick's immortal. He saved me. He can't die._

"The car was in flames. It's too hot to even get close," Josh informed me.

I turned around so Josh wouldn't see me choking back tears. He'd never understand why Mick was so important to me. Mick had shown me another world hiding right in front of me that I'd never seen before. He'd trusted me with his most private secrets. With Mick, there was always the possibility of adventure. It was exciting. And now it was gone forever.

"I'm sorry," Josh whispered. "Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath to channel my sadness into anger. "You got a big problem," I spat, spinning around to face him. "Mick didn't talk to anyone but you and I."

Confusion flashed across his face. "Are you suggesting that I'm the leak?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm saying that someone on your team is responsible, and you should find out who." I turned around and stalked out of his office.

I drove home in a daze, barely able to concentrate on the road ahead of me. My mind was a million miles away. I parked the car and walked into the empty house. I sat down on the couch, and only then did I allow myself to break down and cry.

I don't know how long I sat there sobbing. When the tears stopped I just sat and stared into space. I didn't know how to deal with this. Just when Mick and I were starting to get closer, this had to happen. I couldn't even allow myself the vain hope that he'd survived. Vampires could survive almost anything, but fire would kill them.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when my phone rang. I didn't bother to look at the number before I answered.

"Hey, it's Lenny Hayes," the voice on the other end said.

I sat up, shocked. "Are you all right?" I asked. She assured me that she was. Then I asked to talk to Mick.

"Um, Mick's not doing too good," she replied, worried. "We had to walk a couple miles to get to this old motel and it was hot. Really hot." _Sunlight_, I realized. "But he's alive?" I asked. _Technically, undead, but we'll stick with "alive."_

"Yeah," Lenny assured me. "He's alive." She sounded grateful.

I pulled up the directions to the motel she told me about, and ran out. I nearly forgot to lock the door behind me. I drove as fast as I could, praying I wouldn't run into any police cars. I had to save Mick. He'd saved me. I would do everything in my power to save him.

I found the room easily. Mick was in the bathroom. I told Lenny to wait outside. Mick was laying in the tub, which was filled with ice water. When I walked in, he was completely submerged. I had to pull him out. For a few horrible moments, I thought it was too late. "Mick? Mick!" I called his name over and over. "Stay with me," I pleaded. Finally he opened his eyes. I noticed with horror that they were yellow.

"I bit her," he cried. I realized he was delirious. "I'll die before I feed on her."

I looked him right in the eyes. "Mick, Lenny's in the other room," I assured him. "She's fine." He must have heard me, because he seemed to snap out of it. I smiled, and after a moment he smiled back.

"I guess…I guess I am a delicate flower," he stuttered.

"I guess you are," I agreed.

"Take Lenny back," Mick urged me seriously. "Get her out of here. He's coming."

"I'm not leaving," I protested. I had come here to save Mick.

"You have to protect her now," he told me. He looked ready to give up, but I wasn't giving up on him.

"You're dying!" I cried. I had to save him. How? The answer came to me. I had what he needed more than anything. Was I willing to go that far? I'd promised myself to do anything in my power to save Mick. I owed him my life, and I wanted to show him that I trusted him as much as he trusted me. Trembling, I stood up and took off my coat. I pulled my hair to the side, exposing my neck. "I don't know how to do this," I began, "but I know you need it, so…"

"No!" Mick shouted immediately. "Get out! Get out!"

_He'd rather die than hurt me_, I realized. But I was going to save him. His protests only made me more convinced that I was doing the right thing. "You need blood," I argued.

"No! Not yours," he protested.

"Look…" I began. I reached down and grabbed his face again.

He interrupted me. "Not like this."

_How did you want to do it?_ I wondered briefly. "I want to do this," I said resolutely. The time for doubt had passed. Now it was Mick's decision. We stared at each other for a long moment. In that moment something passed between us. Silently, he accepted my decision. "I know you won't kill me, and I know you wouldn't try to turn me, either," I told him. "I've got this vampire friend who's been explaining this stuff."

There was no turning back now. I took deep breaths, trying to keep my breathing even. A voice in the back of my mind was screaming that this was a bad idea, that I had to take Mick's advice and run, but I didn't listen. I was scared, but I'd made up my mind. Slowly, he reached over and grabbed my arm. His fingers were hot against my skin. My pulse was racing and I gasped for breath. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to watch.

"At some point," Mick said, "you're gonna have to stop me."

A moment later, I felt myself exploding. There was no other way to describe the pain. I struggled for breath, fighting to remain conscious. There was pain, nothing but pain… Dimly, I was aware that my head was resting on Mick's shoulder. Everything else was going fuzzy. At last the pain subsided.

"Beth," Mick called. His voice sounded very far away. "Beth? Oh God, I'm sorry…" I heard his voice calling my name as I slipped into unconsciousness.

The next thing I remembered, Mick's hand was on my shoulder. Moonlight was streaming through the bathroom window. "Beth…" He paused, trying to find the right words. I hoped he wouldn't be stupid enough to ask me if I was all right. "Thanks," he said finally.

I nodded dumbly, not sure what to say myself. "Yeah." I sat up slowly, trying to gauge the extent of the damage. It actually wasn't much worse than when Josh and I'd gone to the blood drive together, except for the pain in my arm. I looked down at it for the first time. It looked bad. The actual bite marks were pretty small, but my arm was covered in blood.

Mick passed me a hand towel. "It's not as bad as it looks," he promised.

I pressed the towel to my arm. The red seeped through. Trying not to look at the bloodstain, I carefully stood up and walked into the main room. It was very quiet and very dark. "Lenny?" I called carefully.

Someone stepped out of the shadows and put a hand over my mouth. I let out a muffled cry when I felt the barrel of a gun against my temple. "Scream and you're dead," he warned me. "Scream and you're dead. Where's the girl?"

There was a crash and suddenly the man let go of me. I stumbled and fell. A moment later there was a sickening crack, and then the man was lying on the floor with his head turned almost backwards. I looked up and saw Mick's arms sticking through the door…or what was left of it, anyway. Which meant that Mick had killed him.

He opened the door and saw me on the floor. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

It was all I could do to nod. For the first time, I understood what Mick meant when he said he was dangerous. He was a killer. And he'd nearly killed me. My arm was still throbbing, and my fingers were sticky from holding the bloody towel.

Lenny ran over and gave Mick a hug. He looked down at me. His eyes asked a silent question: _Are we all right?_

I stared back up at him. Mick, the vampire who'd saved my life. Again. The one who complicated things with my boyfriend and drank my freaking blood and showed me a world that was more fantastic than anything I could ever dream of. I couldn't process everything at once. I looked down at my arm again, then back up at Mick. Were we all right? _Maybe we are. We will be. I don't know._

**Chapter 3: Mick's POV coming soon!**


	3. Mick

**Alas, I still do not own Moonlight. If I did, I doubt I'd be writing fanfiction.**

**Mick's POV:**

Vampires are nearly indestructible. Despite what the old myths say, there are very few ways to kill us. Fire is one of them, so it's a good thing Lenny and I weren't in the car when it was hit. Unfortunately, the other is sunlight, and our escape from the exploding car left us stranded along an uncomfortably sunny stretch of California highway. My first thought was to call Beth for help, but there was still no signal on my phone. Lenny was still staring at the wreckage in shock when I first heard the sirens. There was no way to know if they'd be on our side or Fayid's.

"Cops," Lenny pointed out, nearly a minute after I'd heard them coming. "Do you think we can still trust them?"

I checked for reception in vain once more before telling Lenny I didn't want to wait around. I glared up at the sun. If only there was shade somewhere, anywhere. I looked as far as I could. There, off in the distance, was a building. It was at least three miles away. There was nothing closer. It would have to do. "Come on," I said to Lenny. We had to get across as quickly as we could. I didn't know how long I'd last under the California sun.

When I was still human I survived the Battle of the Bulge. Six weeks in a trench in the Ardennes. Coldest winter I'd ever felt. My buddy lost a foot to frostbite. I'd thought that was hell. I was wrong.

What is hell? Hell is knowing that every minute you spend under the blazing hot sun is driving you closer to death, and knowing there's nothing else you can do. In hell, you know that there is only one thing that will help you, and you've sworn never to do it again. Lenny's blood called to me, promising relief and strength. I walked right next to her; it would be so easy to grab her…

No! I was doing this to _protect_ Lenny. I'd get her out of this desert if it killed me. Which was looking more and more likely.

Lenny had a jacket tied around her waist. She passed it to me, and I held it over my head like an umbrella. It helped, but not enough. "You look dehydrated," she observed. "Do you want to stop for a while?"

"We can't," I answered. The longer we were out here, the more I'd be poisoned by the sunlight. We had to keep moving.

Time and space lost all meaning in that desert. There was nothing but sand and sun and thirst. Lenny walked right behind me, a constant temptation. Vampire survival instincts are simple: If you're dying, you need blood. It didn't matter that I'd sworn to protect Lenny and her baby. If I couldn't get blood any other way, I'd have to feed on her.

I wouldn't be able to stop myself.

She was walking right next to me now, holding my arm to help me walk. I could feel the blood pulsing in her arm, and my fangs sprang out. Relief was coming. Casually, she brushed her long, dark hair away to expose her slender neck. I leaned in closer. I could almost taste the sweet relief…

"Mick, look!" she exclaimed.

_What am I doing?_ I looked in the direction she was pointing. Oh, good. She'd seen the building. I'd almost forgotten this godforsaken journey had a destination.

I pushed the thirst down. It wouldn't be much longer until I was out of the sun, and then the immediate danger would be over. For both of us. I started walking again, and stumbled. She put her arms around me to steady me once more. _This is Lenny_, I reminded myself. _You're here to protect her. And she's going to have a baby. _

The building turned out to be an old, abandoned motel. I grabbed a key from behind the desk and opened the door to one of the rooms. Lenny followed me inside. I felt immediate relief from the sun as soon as we walked in, but it wasn't enough. Lenny said something, but I didn't hear. "Find the ice machine," I instructed her. "Get a lot. Please, go. Go."

I opened the other door, which led to the bathroom. Fortunately, the water was still running, so I turned on the cold as far as it would go. My hand slipped under the cool stream. Now, at last, I could relax.

But my body still felt like it was on fire. I tore my shirt open, which provided no relief. After stumbling and falling over the edge of the bathtub, I was able to pull myself in. The cold, swirling water hit my body and I gasped. Oh, God, it was cold. So cold. Maybe too much of a shock. But after a minute, I was able to adjust.

Still, it wasn't enough. I needed blood. No amount of cold water would cure my thirst. Lenny came in a minute later with a giant bucket of ice. Good girl, listening to my instructions. I pulled the ice towards me, feeling the fire cool just a bit more. Lenny turned off the water and offered me juice from the mini-bar, which I declined. She'd never know what I really wanted to drink.

Lenny put a hand to my face. I was still hot enough that she felt cool against my burning skin. "We need to get you to a hospital," she decided. "This is not just regular dehydration. There is something seriously wrong here."

_Like the fact that I crave human blood and don't have a pulse?_ "No hospitals," I told Lenny firmly. I'd given her my phone, and told her to try Beth again. "Just talk to her," I cautioned. "Only Beth."

"Who is she?" Lenny asked.

"I trust her," I answered, not really answering the question.

"Hey, is she your girlfriend?"

"What? No," I responded immediately. "It's…complicated." Now was not the time to go into the whole Beth situation. I had to get Lenny out before I lost the tenuous grasp on my self-control.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Lenny wondered.

_Lean in a little closer…_Lenny's heart pounded like a drum, drowning out everything else. Then I heard her call my name and the fog cleared for one precious moment. "Please, you must leave," I told her emphatically.

"No, I want to stay here with you," she protested. Foolish girl.

"Call Beth," I instructed. "Go, go." Thankfully, she listened, leaving me alone and thirstier than ever. I swirled the ice cubes around me again, hoping they would help. They didn't.

A minute later, I heard her walk back into the room. I sat completely still. She was saying something, but I wasn't paying attention to the words. Only her presence. She came closer, like a moth drawn to a flame. I willed my body to remain completely motionless. Lenny came closer, and leaned down. That was when I struck.

My fangs came out instantly, and I felt a perverse thrill as she let out a scream. I could taste her blood flowing through my body, but I felt no relief. Why did I still feel as though my veins were on fire?

"Mick!" Lenny cried. I snapped back to reality. There were no marks on her neck. I hadn't actually bitten her. Yet. "Mick, did you hear me?" she asked anxiously. "Beth's coming."

The words didn't register right away. "Get out!" I screamed at her. "Get out, Lenny! Get out now!" _Before I do something I regret._ Panicked, she turned around and quickly retreated to safety. Just in time, too. What was happening to me?

It wasn't until after Lenny was safely gone that that I recalled her words: _Beth's coming. _

_She'd better get here soon_,I thought.

I slipped into a feverish dream.

_A cockroach scuttles across a tiled floor that probably hasn't been cleaned in decades. Water drips from the faucet into the tub where I lay, trying to cool my body as it burns with this fever. Disjointed sights and sounds fill my mind, and I half-wonder if I'm delusional. Part of me longs for death, because it will mean relief from this horrible pain. But I don't want to die in this place. Not here, not now. _

_Suddenly I see Beth's face before me, and I know everything will be all right. She's kneeling next to the tub. She leans in toward me, almost as though she's going to kiss my lips. Then she tilts her head to the side, offering her neck to me. I sink my fangs into her neck and drink. The blood is cooling, healing; it erases everything else from my mind. It drips down the side of the tub. Oh, God, have I killed her? I've killed her!_

_Suddenly she's gone, and I realize she was never here. A delusion, cooked up by the fever. Beth is fine. She's not even here._

_She won't be here in time to save me. _

_What do you get when you put a vampire in the desert? Maybe no more vampire…_

The next thing I remembered, Beth was pulling me up from the water and shouting my name. I knew that this time it was real. My senses were aware of every tiny movement, the sound of her every heartbeat. I felt her cooling touch as she held my face in her delicate hands. My imagination couldn't conjure up such a realistic fantasy. "Mick! You're burning up," she observed, worried. It was already too late for me.

Suddenly, I recalled Lenny in the other room. "I bit her," I cried, struggling for breath. "I'll die before I feed on her." I still wasn't sure whether I'd actually hurt her or not.

"Mick, Lenny's in the other room; she's fine," Beth said firmly. She looked me directly in the eyes. Beth wouldn't lie to me, I knew.

Relieved, I smiled. "I guess…I guess I am a delicate flower," I concluded. Ageless, incredibly fast, and powerful, but prone to nightmares. And I wilt in the sun.

Beth smiled back at me, amused. "I guess you are," she agreed.

"Take Lenny back," I instructed Beth. "Get her out of here. He's coming." There was still time, before the assassin found our latest hiding spot. And he would, I was sure of it.

"I'm not leaving," Beth protested. What was it with these women? Surely Beth would understand how unsafe it was to be around me.

"You have to protect her now," I said firmly. Beth was more than capable of looking after Lenny. If I knew they were both safe, I could die in peace.

"You're dying!" Beth cried. She stared at me for a long moment, and then stood up and threw her coat on the floor. With horror, I realized what she was about to do. She pulled her hair away from her throat with a trembling hand. "I don't know how to do this," she began, "but I know you need it, so…"

"No!" I cried as she pulled the collar on her shirt. "Get out! Get out!" I shrank towards the wall, trying not to look at the horribly tempting sight. Beth was playing with fire. It would be so easy for me to lose control and take too much from her.

"You need blood," she pointed out.

"Not yours!" If something were to happen to Beth, especially if it was something I did…I'd never be able to live with myself.

"Look…" She leaned down and grabbed my face again.

"Not like this," I protested. This was all wrong. She felt like she owed me something, that was all. I'd saved her life and she had to return the favor. But she didn't realize that she was gambling with her own life in the process. The stakes were too high.

"I want to do this," she insisted. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, and I realized that she meant it. For whatever reason, she felt that my life was worth saving. And she trusted me with her life. Silently, I acknowledged her choice and decided to accept her help. She leaned back. "I know you won't kill me," she said, trying not to sound afraid. _Not if I can help it._ "And I know you wouldn't try to turn me either," she continued, a wrinkle of disgust crossing her face at the idea. At least she had enough sense to not want to become a monster like me. "I've got this vampire friend who's been explaining this stuff," she added.

Slowly, carefully, I reached over and took her arm. Beth gasped in fear but didn't try to pull away. I held her arm for a moment, letting the rhythm of her heartbeat embed itself in my mind. Her heart was racing now, and she had to struggle to keep her breathing even. The thirst was raging, and I knew if she tried to pull away now I couldn't possibly control myself. But she sat very still and closed her eyes. "At some point," I cautioned her, "you're gonna have to stop me."

My fangs shot out. I brought her arm to my lips and drove my teeth through the skin. Her blood was even better than I'd imagined, cooling and healing and satisfying all at once. I drank, lost in a swirl of emotions, until at last the thirst subsided. Gently, I pulled my head away from Beth's arm. I spoke her name. There was no answer. "Beth?" I called again, worried. She was nearly unconscious. "Oh, God, I'm sorry," I whispered. "Beth, forgive me." I could feel her heart beating steadily, so I knew she wasn't in any danger of dying. Still, I'd nearly taken too much.

Gently, I laid Beth's head down on the floor next to the tub. I stood up carefully, feeling stronger than I had in a long time. After letting the water out of the bathtub, I moved Beth as carefully as I could and stuck a folded-up towel under her head as a pillow. I sat and watched Beth's chest rise and fall, making sure she would be all right.

The sun had finally settled below the horizon when Beth began to stir. I reached over and touched her shoulder, and she startled awake. "Beth…" I said. She flinched away from me. Guess I deserved that. Words flashed through my mind, but none of them covered everything I wanted to say. "Thanks," I said finally.

Still looking afraid, she nodded. "Yeah." When in doubt, keep the conversation monosyllabic. She struggled to sit up, and looked at her arm. I passed her a towel, assuring her that it looked worse than it was. Without saying another word to me, Beth stood up and left me staring after her.

I heard her call Lenny's name, and then a muffled scream. A familiar voice hissed, "Scream and you're dead." I hadn't even heard the assassin come in. Stupid, stupid Mick. "Where's the girl?" he demanded.

With vampire speed, I raced to the door and grabbed him. This required the destruction of the door, but I don't think Beth minded. As soon as I grabbed the assassin, he let go of Beth. I snapped his neck like a twig and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. He wouldn't be able to threaten Lenny or her baby again. Beth looked up at me with fear in her eyes.

I opened the half-destroyed bathroom door and walked out to make sure Beth was all right. Then I heard Lenny's voice. "Mick? Are you okay?" she asked. She was peeking out from behind the corner.

"Yeah, actually I feel better," I told her with a grin. I remembered the thrill of twisting the worthless assassin's head until the bones snapped with a satisfying crunch. I'd never felt so powerful. Then Lenny ran over and gave me a hug.

For the first time that day, I was able to be near her without fear that she'd become my lunch. I put my arms around her, hesitantly at first. When I looked down at Beth, she was still in shock. Well, there it was. The only human who'd ever known about my secret was finally driven away after seeing the monster I am inside.

Relationships are complicated, which is why I usually avoid them. But for a brief moment, I thought I saw acceptance in her eyes. That was even more disturbing. If Beth didn't have the sense to avoid me on her own, I'd just have to help her out.

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please let me know what you thought of Mick's POV.**


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